Parlando: The COC Blog

Introduction to La Bohème

All you needed to know about… La Bohème

So what’s it all about?

La Bohème is a story of a young group of bohemians, originally set in 1840s Paris in the Quartier Latin. The four main characters, Mimì, Rodolfo, Musetta and Marcello, and their friends Colline and Schaunard all share the ups and downs of a typically bohemian life – love, loss, poverty, fun, and living life as if it was a performance. You have Rodolfo the poet, Mimì the seamstress, Marcello the painter, Musetta the singer, Schaunard the musician and Colline the philosopher, each defined by what they do, but not limited by it. As an opera, La Bohème is both light-hearted and heartbreaking, and has drawn audiences since its premiere with its emotional score and story-telling.

Mimì and Rodolfo vs. Marcello and Musetta — which couple do you prefer?

When watching a performance of La Bohème, it’s quickly apparent there’s a juxtaposition between the two couples in the opera. It's almost as if Musetta and Marcello act as the extroverted, dynamic foil to the more down-to-earth and tender romance of Mimì and Rodolfo.

So if you’re a fan of the “dreamy, sensitive, just can't seem to make it work” camp, Mimì and Rodolfo might be for you, but if you’re more interested in the funny and feisty “did they break-up again?!” type of couple, you may be drawn more to Musetta and Marcello instead. Thankfully we have a handy chart to help you decide which pair of lovers you relate to more:

We have no idea, since they are introduced to us as former lovers. We meet Musetta on the arms of her aging sugar daddy with Marcello trying really hard to ignore her, but you know, he can't, because it’s Musetta.

Why did they break up?

Rodolfo acts harshly, but he is masking a terrible guilt that he cannot provide the care that Mimì's delicate health requires. He pushes her away so she can attract a much wealthier suitor who would have more resources to support her through her illness.

Musetta is an independent woman and Marcello a free-spirited artist — they should be together, but their stubborn nature just won't let them! They end things in Act III with a catty argument, yet seemingly reconcile during Mimi's illness. So who knows what their future holds?

This opera is one of the operas that everyone knows, has listened to, or has some knowledge of. Much like The Barber of Seville and Carmen, La Bohème has sunk its teeth into the popular cultural subconscious (as described in our previous blog post) and has inspired other pieces of popular musical theatre like Rent. Puccini’s score and Henri Murger's story draw the audience in with memorable melodies, youthful and irreverent characters, and a heartbreaking romance. It's an opera that attracts many opera newbies with its universal story of love and loss, but with enough musical firepower to keep aficionados coming back for more.

What will the production look like?

This summer we tagged along with set and costume designer David Farley as he gives us a behind-the-scenes hint of his beautiful sets and costumes designs. Watch the video below for a preview of the props and scenery used in the opera.

Who’s starring in it?

Many of the roles require two singers because of the number of performances and some of the cast do vocal multi-tasking to switch between roles!

Canadian soprano Joyce El-Khoury is one of the stars playing double duty, performing both as the sassy Musetta and the tragic. Also playing Mimì is Grazia Doronzio, a talented Italian soprano who has sung the role in many opera houses in Europe and North America. Both singers are recent graduates of the Metropolitan Opera's Lindemann Young Artist Development Program and are making their COC debuts.

Musetta is also performed by Vancouver-born Simone Osborne, a 2012 graduate of the COC’s Ensemble Studio who has spent the last year traveling to Japan, Zurich, Los Angeles, Dubai and back home again! But this won’t be the only chance to see Simone — she’ll also be playing Oscar in Un ballo in maschera on the COC mainstage in February 2014.

Musetta's charming, sometimes lover, the painter Marcello is played by baritones Joshua Hopkins and Phillip Addis. Hopkins is reprising his role in this new co-production, having also performed the role at Houston Grand Opera in 2012. Phillip Addis recently played Marcello at the Calgary Opera and Theatre Basel, and when he's not performing as Marcello in our production, he does double-duty as Schaunard.

Rounding out the cast are Christian Van Horn and Tom Corbeil as Colline, and Ensemble Studio member Cameron McPhail, sharing the role of Schaunard with Phillip Addis, Thomas Hammons as both Benoît and Alcindoro, Ensemble Studio members Owen McCausland as Parpignol, Clarence Frazer as Customs House Sergeant and Gordon Bintner as Customs Officer, and Doug MacNaughton also sharing the role of the Customs Officer.

Want to learn more?

If you want to explore some of the links we've provided in this post, we've gathered them all here for your reading and viewing pleasure!

------------Photos: (top) (l-r) Phillip Addis as Marcello, Eric Margiore as Rodolfo, Cameron McPhail as Schaunard and Tom Corbeil as Colline; (middle) Eric Margiore as Rodolfo and Joyce El-Khoury as Mimì; (middle) Phillip Addis as Marcello and Simone Osborne as Musetta; (middle, bottom) A scene from the Canadian Opera Company production of La Bohème, 2013. All photos from the Canadian Opera Company's 2013 production of La Bohème. Photos by Chris Hutcheson.